There’s something here for everyone…

Posted: May 19th, 2020

IF you’ve run out of paperbacks, finished all your jigsaws, your garden’s looking lovely, and your house has been cleaned to within an inch of its life, here’s a massive list of links to entertain, amuse and educate…

It’s 200 years since the birth of Florence Nightingale. Visit her museum’s website for some great downloads for home schooling and, if you can, help save it from closure. https://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk

If you love music you will absolutely LOVE this free, online music station that takes you on a tour of global pop music by decade and country. Any country, any decade, just shuffle: https://radiooooo.com/

And thanks to AMP committee member STEPHANIE KERSTEIN for this cultural cornucopia from Redbridge U3A (w/b 18th May). More and more entertainment is being offered online and there are some gems to be found in the list below. The links can be accessed on computers, laptops and smartphones or even smart TVs with an internet browser and/or a YouTube app – and it’s all free! Links update every week.

Drama: Every Thursday at 7.00 pm The National Theatre will be streaming a performance online. The show will be available for one week. The coming weeks’ plays are:

Now – 21st May: Barbershop Chronicles. Inua Ellams’ play about the places where banter is barbed, and the truth is telling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNxfr9tSsSc

21st – 28th May: A Streetcar Named Desire. Gillian Anderson plays Blanche DuBois in the critically acclaimed Young Vic production of Tennessee Williams’ classic play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJEpYaD3yTw

More information on https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/nt-at-home or https://www.youtube.com/user/ntdiscovertheatre

Gate Theatre has two offerings: Malagi Mougel’s Suzy Storck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6zlnonOZYc until 30th June and The Unknown Island based on Jose Saramago’s short story, The Tale of the Unknown Island: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUBsVmYH_8Q also until 30th June.

York Theatre Royal and Pilot Theatre have released Everything is Possible: The York Suffragettes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT34ZmtAqak until 31st May.

From Border Crossings Theatre comes the film More than Words: https://www.bordercrossings.org.uk/programme/more-words-0 until 21st May)

Midnight Your Time is a wryly comic and ultimately heartbreaking exploration of what it really means to communicate remotely. It was recorded via webcam at Diana Quick’s home and is presented by Donmar Warehouse. It will be available until 20th May: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSy_QM9yNN8

Lyric Hammersmith will stream their performance of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, but it will only be available on Wednesday 20th May from 2.30 pm till midnight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqvL_Y3-oyU

Belgrade Theatre in Coventry presents Amy Ng’s Under the Umbrella. Wei is a smart girl, but she has reached 27, the age of “leftover woman”, so back in China, her grandmother is getting worried. The play premieres on Friday 22nd May at 7.00 pm and will be available for a week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIcczCiLZK4

The Globe Theatre shows plays for free, one at a time, on rotation every two weeks. Each play premieres on a Monday at 7.00 pm.

Tonight – 31st May: The Winter’s Tale. Blanche McIntyre directs a new version of Shakespeare’s great play of the irrational and inexplicable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nscB0yEWSgY

Today at 7.00 pm until schools reopen: Macbeth. A 90-minute production, created especially for a school audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFwHmgA9nno

More information on https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/watch/#free-youtube-premieres

Swinging the Lens’ production of Richard II from Sam Wanamaker Theatre can be watched on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHrXAJ93hRU. This is the first all women of colour Shakespeare production in the UK.

Canada’s Stratford Festival premieres a Shakespeare play every Thursday at 11.30 pm with each play being available for three weeks. Note that the stream includes a 30 minute preshow before the actual performance. Already available:

Coriolanus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvkW1MhOYlQ until 21st May.

Macbeth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbTNhGfM7W8 until 28th May.

The Tempest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZREpz1ZH6Q

Next up: Timon of Athens premiering on Thursday 21st May. Direct link not yet available, but check on https://www.youtube.com/user/stratfordfestival

Musicals: Every Friday at 7.00 pm Andrew Lloyd Webber will make one of his musicals available for free for 48 hours. The performance for Friday 22nd May has not yet been announced. No direct link is available as yet but will e-mailed later in the week. Otherwise, check https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmPjhKMaXNNeCr1FjuMvag for more information.

Leonard Bernstein’s musical Trouble in Tahiti – a one-act satire on the American dream – can be seen in a production by Opera North: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxv0xjld2BA until 1st June.

Chichester Festival Theatre is streaming David Walliams’ The Midnight Gang: https://www.cft.org.uk/the-midnight-gang-broadcast until 29th May.

Opera: The Royal Opera House will be streaming a ballet or opera performance every Friday at 7.00 pm after which they remain available for some time.

Available now: La Traviata by Guiseppe Verdi, starring Renée Fleming and Joseph Calleja: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wiGeh2c8LI until 21st May.

Friday 22nd May premiere: Cendrillon by Jules Massenet until 4th June. Direct link not yet available

More information on https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalOperaHouse

The Metropolitan Opera in New York offers a nightly opera stream which will be available for 23 hours from 12.30 am (7.30 pm in New York). This week’s schedule is as follows:

Tuesday 19th May: Idomeneo by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wednesday 20th May: Lohengrin by Richard Wagner

Thursday 21st May: Un Ballo in Maschera by Giuseppe Verdi

Friday 22nd May: Turandot by Giacomo Puccini

Saturday 23rd May: Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Sunday 24th May: Faust by Charles Gounod

Monday 25th May: Manon by Jules Massenet

The nightly opera can be watched at https://www.metopera.org or through the Met Opera on Demand app on your smart TV.

The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow is also streaming operas. No premieres announced this week.

For more information. check on https://www.youtube.com/user/bolshoi

Operas are collected by the website Operavision: https://operavision.eu/en/library/Óperas – and available on YouTube. Some theatres upload selected productions themselves. Beneath is a list of opera links to enjoy. They should all have English subtitles:

Doctor Atomic by John Adams, from De Nationale Opera, Amsterdam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_V9LEMEmbg until 24th May.

Der Schmied von Gent by Franz Shreker, from Opera Ballet Vlaanderen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jmb5iIv9rY

Eugene Onegin by Pyotr Tchaikovsky from Komische Oper, Berlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efWr4_pKcDY

Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk by Nikolai Leskov, from De Nationale Opera, Amsterdam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUboLUypbHA

Legend of the Invisible City of Kitzeh by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov from De Nationale Opera, Amsterdam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHYwFg9RXA0

L’Elisir d’Amore by Gaetano Donizetti, from Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAXoOqIGlTY

Ritratto by Willem Jeths, from De Nationale Opera, Amsterdam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0sK4bAaGtM

The Pearls of Cleopatra by Richard Strauss, from Komische Oper, Berlin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z282rZtb_dI

The Queen of Spades by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, from Moscow State Stanislavsky Music Theatre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y8UrTLL8gU

Wozzeck by Alban Berg, from De Nationale Opera, Amsterdam: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1ydPjw87eo

This week’s premieres from Operavision – available from 6.00 pm for three months:

Friday 22nd May: Tristan & Isolde by Richard Wagner, from La Monnaie/De Munt, Brussels

Direct link not yet available, but check on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBTlXPAfOx300RZfWNw8-qg

Ballet: The Royal Opera House will be streaming a ballet or opera performance every Friday at 7.00 pm after which they remain available for some time.

Ballets available: Anastasia by Kenneth McMillan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tu8P0V6BDE until 28th May.

More information on https://www.youtube.com/user/RoyalOperaHouse

Sadler’s Wells presents Moon Water by Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJABXU15MbA until 22nd May.

TOM by Wilkie Branson premieres Friday 22nd May at 7.30 pm. Direct link not yet available, but check https://www.youtube.com/user/sadlerswells

English National Ballet has launched Wednesday Watch Parties. This week’s performance, on Wednesday 20th May at 7.00 pm, will be Stina Quagebeur’s Nora – a one-act ballet inspired by the main character in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House. It will only be available for 48 hours after the initial stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBSvvOyOPRQ

New York City Ballet makes performances available for 72 hours every Wednesday and Saturday from 1.00 am.

Wednesday 20th May premiere: George Balanchine’s Diamonds from Jewels, featuring Sara Mearns and Russell Janzen.

Saturday 23rd May premiere: Christopher Wheeldon’s Liturgy, featuring Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle, and Carousel (A Dance), featuring Lauren Lovette and Tyler Angle. Direct links not yet available, but check on https://www.youtube.com/user/newyorkcityballet

San Francisco Ballet performs Justin Peck’s Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jBQ9rkU2_0

From Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg comes Sleeping Beauty with music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqLpnaGBNrs

On Thursday 21st May at 6.00 pm, Border Crossings Theatre presents Ino Moxo – a visionary theatrical experience, combining shamanic chants, dance and extraordinary projections, choreographed by Ana Zavala and Oscar Naters. It will be online for a week on https://www.bordercrossings.org.uk/programme/ino-moxo

Concerts: London Symphony Orchestra will be streaming a concert every Sunday and Thursday.

Now: Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6 and Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Remembering conducted by Sir Simon Rattle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw3uKgsct8c

Thursday 21st May at 7.30 pm: Benjamin Britten’s Four Sea Interludes and Passacaglia from Peter Grimes,

Sergey Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No 2 and Dmitry Shostakovich’s Symphony No 6 conducted by Gianandrea Noseda with Denis Matsuev, piano.

Sunday 24th May at 7.00 pm: Steve Reich’s Quartet and Sextet, Joe Locke’s Her Sanctuary and Makoto Ozone’s Kato’s Revenge arranged by Simon Carrington. LSO Percussion Ensemble.

Direct links not yet available. For full programme of each concert, visit https://lso.co.uk/whats-on/2019-20-season/alwaysplaying.html Also visit https://www.youtube.com/user/Lso

Royal Scottish National Orchestra has introduced Friday Night Club with a string of concerts already available. A new concert is streamed every Friday at 7.30 pm.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’, directed by Sir Roger Norrington: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_8K8bVNF8k

Saint-Saëns’ Symphony No. 3 ‘Organ’ conducted by Neeme Järvi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_eZUgbzFA

Johannes Brahms’ German Requiem conducted by Gregory Batsleer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPogmLEAwc8

Richard Strauss’ Don Juan and Seven Early Songs by Alban Berg, conducted by Thomas Søndergård: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoaULs5pFqM

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No.1, directed by Thomas Søndergård: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5veX4Blbzo

Excerpts from Delibes’ Sylvia and Bizet’s Carmen, conducted by Neeme Järvi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJD3_VnPsWc

Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, and Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra with Sir Roger Norrington and pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTRi8YrL0zM

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, conducted by Peter Oundjian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FJnBeGQkf4

Premiere on Friday 22nd May: Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, conducted by Thomas Søndergård. Direct link not yet available.

More information on https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRSNO or https://www.rsno.org.uk/friday/

New York Philharmonic Orchestra presents the series NY Phil Plays On:

Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 conducted by Alan Gilbert in “A Concert for Unity,” featuring musicians from around the world joining the Philharmonic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAGZ7bchH-A

Soprano Renée Fleming sings Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate and Richard Strauss’s Muttertändelei, Waldseligkeit, and Cäcilie, conducted by Kurt Masur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZbJlueE3o

Antonin Dvorak’s Cello Concerto played by Yo-Yo Ma, conducted by Kurt Masur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jchO-8pw9IE

Also check on https://www.youtube.com/user/NewYorkPhilharmonic

Boston Symphony Orchestra streams concerts under the banner BSO at Home:

Andris Nelsons conducts Bartók, Mozart, and Ravel featuring pianist Yefim Bronfman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE0XYILpDOc

Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 conducted by Erich Leinsdorf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvsCaYhBClc

Also check on https://www.youtube.com/user/BostonSymphony

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra makes a concert available on You Tube every Thursday at 10.30 am. Here is a selection:

MSO+Kate Miller-Heidke. Featuring Australian theatre and music sensation Kate Miller-Heidke on stage alongside her husband and collaborator, Keir Nuttall, this performance showcases the full breadth of Kate’s vocal abilities in this exciting pop meets orchestra concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imfaOlXzBb0

Danish String Quartet’s Last Leaf, arranged for MSO Quintet by Michelle Wood, is the second album by the Nordic ensemble. Known for their incredible takes on contemporary composition and classical repertoire, Last Leaf is a series of Nordic folk songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DH_jXoXo-Y

For more music and information, visit https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMSOrchestra

The Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam releases no less than three concerts each week. Each concert is preceded by an introduction and sometimes an interview. These are the latest:

Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 5, conducted by Nicholas Harnoncourt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxM4i7vaqQw

Hector Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, conducted by Daniele Gatti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIFMflOnA2E

Sergey Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto no. 3 with Alexander Gavrylyuk and conducted by Vladimir Jurowski: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVvWghbJdgs

Claude Debussy’s La Mer and Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, conducted by Daniele Gatti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6gqShLW9HE

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-tF3oaO_A

Josef Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 with cellist Giovanni Sollima and Mozart’s Symphony No. 38, conducted by Giovanni Antonini: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL_UF96L7xA

Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 3 conducted by Herbert Blomstedt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZIHMTUsypk

Astor Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas lead by and with concertmaster Liviu Prunaru, and Antonio Vivaldi’s Le quattro stagioni lead by and with concertmaster Vesko Eschkenazy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F5knOeVtno

Concertgebouw’s Gustav Mahler Festival:

Symphony No. 1, conducted by Mariss Jansons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnTjNS6dNBc

Symphony No. 2, conducted by Daniele Gatti with Annette Dasch, soprano, and Karen Cargill, mezzo-soprano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPPMQJhIJIs

Symphony No. 3, conducted by Mariss Jansons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xule3Ia2jcE

Symphony No. 4, conducted by Iván Fischer with Miah Persson, soprano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1psx1hsMwo

Symphony No. 5, conducted by Daniele Gatti: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW_Obv5VB1Q

Symphony No. 6, condicted by Lorin Maazel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9uXdaPLt5c

Symphony No. 7, conducted by Pierre Boulez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC6EGMGEENc

Symphony No. 8, conducted by Mariss Jansons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0dd-RCmmYw

Symphony No. 9, conducted by Bernard Haitink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4ctQ8LqTak

Symphony no. 10 ’Das Lied von der Erde’ conducted by Fabio Luisi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB-q3m2L3Eo

David Oistrakh plays Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s five violin concertos & Rondo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1m_YoGbDt4

Katherine Jenkins’ VE Day performance We’ll Meet Again in an empty Royal Albert Hall is still available to watch on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzeEtnXaruc

David Gilmour’s Live at Pompeii – recorded 45 years after Pink Floyd’s legendary performance – is now available to stream on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAmOdxZKWjY

The Rolling Stones have launched Extra Licks! – a series of special past performances premiering Sundays at 8.00 pm. Yesterday’s offering, Live at The Fonda Theatre can be watched at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8RsYQp_hnc.

If you are into electronic music, you may enjoy Jean-Michel Jarre’s The Connection Concert from 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLRcJBSsGVw

A concert by Amy MacDonald from Schaffhausen, Switzerland in 2019 can be watched on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZy2OEUhRvw

There’s reggae from Ziggy Marley performing live at Exit Festival 2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1RGRBQ_f5U

Heavy rock from Metallica live in Paris 2017: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85oEUVqgefU

Earlier this year Eric Clapton and Friends paid tribute to Ginger Baker in a concert at the Hammersmith Apollo. Watch it on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcZILUFycrA

Lady Gaga unleashes unparalleled energy in an Enigma concert in Miami: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lletJOdGNso

A line-up of Broadway favourites, among them Josh Groban and Meryl Streep, celebrate Stephen Sondheim with a concert event called Take Me to the World – performed from home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A92wZIvEUAw

Lincoln Center in New York has made a string of concerts by The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis available under the heading Jazz at Lincoln Center. Here is a selection:

The Music of Miles Davis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ__lmCOSeg

JLCO Songbook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxUu8ZjH8H8

South African Songbook: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOJxZmgnpkA

Who is Chick Corea?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHgi2fUUGcI

Untamed Elegance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqdZxWn3IsQ

The Life and Music of Dave Brubeck: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQ-yXQItCGg

The JLCO plays Monk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-z0vtPubKQ

Who is Benny Goodman?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nySFrVAzG7A

Celebrating Ella Fitzgerald, the first lady of jazz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFx9XRTvGZg

Virtual Gala: Worldwide Concert for our Culture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjJbZetCvGw

More information on https://www.youtube.com/user/JazzatLincolnCenter

Other events: The Royal Albert Hall has launched a series of events under the heading Royal Albert Home. This includes artists performing live from their own home. The streams are available on YouTube after the event.

Recent performances:

Natalie Prass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7D7ZPqPkAU

Marisha Wallace: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kGdgv8ppBM

Sinéad Harnett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QS–oSzz3M8

The Great Jelly of London by Paul Jennings, read by Samuel West: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fMrIvO3um8

Richard Thompson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEp_q8IH6uI

Jesca Hoop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b-lq5yzCyg

David Ford: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68rAVHO3o5U

Opera for kids with Maciek O’Shea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO0whvQ3QJA

Sea Shambles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBQmdbVeoKw

This week’s Royal Albert Home events:

Tuesday 19th May at 7.30 pm: Gabriela Montero: https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/events/2020/royal-albert-home-gabriela-montero/